BOC ‘BAGWOMAN’ ADMITS COLLECTING PAYOFF MONEY
Alleged bagwoman Mae Escueto yesterday confirmed collecting, in behalf of her superiors, illegal payoff money from customs broker Mark Taguba.
Escueto, a contractual employee, told the Senate blue ribbon committee that she had exchanged text messages with the broker several times on behalf of Bureau of Customs (BOC) intelligence officer Joel Pinawin and former Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) Director Neil Anthony Estrella.
Pinawin and Estrella both strongly denied receiving money from Taguba through Escueto.
“Kung nag-uusap man sila transaction nila yan, personal nilang usapan ‘yan. Bakit ba nila ako dinadamay d’yan? Isa lang po ang maliwanag dito: ano po ba ang motibo dito? May conspiracy po itong si Mae si Mark Taguba para sirain ako dahil ako nakahuli kina Taguba sa shabu na pinarating nila,” he said.
(That’s their personal transaction. Why are they implicating me? One thing is clear here. There is a conspiracy between Mae and Taguba to destroy me because I was the one who intercepted their illegal shipment of shabu.)
At the resumption of the Senate inquiry into the “tara system” at the BOC, Escueto said she first met Taguba last March when he came to their office looking for Pinawin.
Escueto said she brought Taguba to Pinawin’s office. After the meeting, she said Taguba asked for her cellphone number.
She said Taguba had texted her several times since then to ask about Pinawin. She informed Pinawin each time, she added.
“Noong April 7, Friday, umaga tinawag ako ni Sir Joel (Pinawin). Sabi, ‘tawagan mo si Mark (Taguba) at sabihin mo na ‘yung para kay Director at para sa akin.’ Ni-relay ko naman pero kasi hindi naman kami close at maaga pa kaya tinext ko nalang si Mark na ‘Happy morning remind lang po ni Sir Joel ‘yung kay director at ‘yung sa kanya,’” she said.
(On April 7, Friday, Sir Joel told me: Call Mark and remind him about what’s due Director and me. Since we are not really that close, I just texted Mark: Happy morning. Reminder from Sir Joel on what’s due him and Director.)
In response, she said Taguba replied “Copy”.
On April 12, Pinawin asked her again to send Taguba the same message in which the broker responded “next week nalang kasi cut-off maliit lang nakuha isahan nalang sa susunod.”
On May 5, she said Pinawin asked her again to text Taguba.
“Sinabihan ako na tawagan si Mark at sabihin na dapat mga 12 nandito na para sa kanila. Sabi ni Mark maaga pa walang mauutusan kung pwede daw padala nalang ng tao para kumuha, pinakuha sa akin,” she said.
(I was told to call Mark and tell him to be at their office by 12. Mark said no one was available to bring it to the office and asked for someone to pick it up from his office instead.)
Escueto said she picked up two brown envelopes from Taguba’s office in Intramuros. She said she believed the envelopes, which were addressed to “Director” and “Sir Joel”, contained money.
Earlier, BOC officials including newly installed BOC commissioner Isidro Lapeña, former BOC deputy commissioner Gerardo Gambala, former BOC commissioner chief-ofstaff Mandy Anderson and Pinawin confirmed that “tara” or “lagay” system exists in the said agency to expedite shipments.
Among the shipments that were released was the P6.4-billion shabu shipment from China.